Easy Vietnamese Papaya Smoothie (Sinh tố đu đủ)

This refreshing and surprisingly super healthy Vietnamese Papaya Smoothie (Sinh tố đu đủ) is so easy to make. Only needs a handful of ingredients and a blender to make this Papaya Smoothie. Also NO bananas in this smoothie! This is great for a nice summer drink or if you have extra papaya and want to change it up and make a light smoothie. Let’s walk through this recipe!

Papaya is a fruit that is not commonly consumed like apples and oranges. Growing up papaya was a fruit I would bring to school and the other kids would ask me what it is and I would be embarrassed. I would see the other kids with their slice apples or oranges and look at my fruit and I would be the odd one out. Now that I’m older and wiser! Papaya is such an awesome fruit and I have no shame in packing this for my kids to bring to school.

Why make this Vietnamese Papaya Smoothie?

Papaya contains many antioxidants and what better way to nourish your body than through a simple smoothie!

Papaya also stores well in the fridge after it has been cut up. So if you have some leftovers sitting in the fridge it is nice to change it up and make a refreshing papaya smoothie (Sinh To Du Du)

This is great to make during the fall season when cold and flu season is among us. It is jammed-packed full of vitamins that help fight off viruses and bacteria

It is a smoothie that doesn’t need many ingredients and it’s versatile so if you have a different type of milk or sweetener you can substitute easily and still make an amazing smoothie.

Can you make a smoothie with papaya?

Definitely! This smoothie requires ripening papaya because they become so sweet and tasty! We don’t use green papaya! 

Papaya is such a great fruit! It’s so underrated and it actually mixes well with other fruit. I have even made a 2 colored smoothie with my Vietnamese Avocado Smoothie and layered it in a glass to get a nice green and orange colours smoothie!

What are the health benefits and why is papaya good for you

WebMD goes into great detail about the health benefits of eating papayas. 

Papayas may help reduce heat disease if consumed regularly. They contain different antioxidant vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E. Which helps prevent the oxidation of cholesterol, no blockage of cholesterol means that it reduces the chances of heart disease.

It’s a great source of fibre which will also help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Papaya contains a high level of vitamin C which can help boost the body’s immune system. When the body has a boosted immune system it is better equipped at fighting off viruses and bacterial infections. In my household with 3 young girls under the age of 5, viruses and bacteria breed in my household. Any form of immunity-boosting food is more than welcome – especially when it is so refreshing, tasty and also natural!

How to pick out the perfect papaya and know when it is ripe?

At the supermarket look for papayas that have no bruises and are shiny and smooth. The papayas you buy at the supermarket will usually be green with some hues of orangey yellow. They are usually not ripe and ready to be eaten yet. If the supermarket you shop at had ready to eat papaya look for a yellow-orange color and it is slightly softer when you press on it.

Once you cut into ripening papaya it will be a nice beautiful deep orange color. The knife will cut very easily.

How long does it take papaya to ripen and what to look for?

When I buy papaya and its not ripe yet I leave them on the counter to ripen. Leaving it on the counter will take about 3-4 days. If you wish to ripen the papaya faster there is one easy method. Throw it in a paper bag and fold the opening and it should ripen within 2-3 days. This will vary depending on how green the papaya is but check on it after 2 days and when you see it turn yellow.

If you need to speed it up even more and needed the papaya like yesterday. Use the brown paper bag method but also add in a ripe banana or apple to help really speed up the ripening process.

How to cut papaya?

I have two ways I cut papaya. 

If you are using it for a smoothie or cutting it up for family members I would use a peeler and peel the skin off first. Once the skin is peeled cut off both ends using a knife. Cut the papaya down the middle lengthways. I use a spoon and scrape all the black seeds. I also try to remove as much of the inside stringy parts. 

A second way is to cut the papaya lengthways and scrape out all the seeds. Now cut the halve papayas lengthways again into slices about 1 inch wide. Using the knife flat against the surface of the cutting board cut the skin off carefully. Now chop the papaya into smaller chunks. 

I personally prefer to peel the papaya first with a peeler since it reduces the chance of cutting your fingers and it’s less tedious. Once the papaya is peeled it’s a quick chop and your papaya is ready. 

Can you blend papaya seeds in a smoothie?

The papaya seed is edible and actually has some infection-fighting abilities. They are tiny round balls that are hard. 

Adding them to the blender is possible but I wouldn’t recommend it as it would alter the texture and taste of the papaya smoothie.

However, if you don’t want to be wasteful and would like to add some for the health benefits and don’t mind so crunchy texture feel free to add it!

Recipe FAQ

Do I need a high-speed blender?

I use Vitamix Blender and it does the job of blending big chunks of ice very well. I would suggest using smaller chunks if you don’t have a high-powered blender but even a single-serve blender will work if the ice is smaller pieces.

How long can you store this smoothie?

Drink the smoothie within 1-2 hours to keep it cold and refreshing. If you would like to make this in the morning and drink it after a workout keeps it in an insulated thermos to keep it cold. Otherwise, this will store in the fridge for up to 24 hours. 

Can this smoothie be frozen?

For sure! If you would like to meal prep and make these so it’s easy to make during a busy morning make a big patch and freeze it. I would recommend using an ice cube tray and freezing it and place them in a freezer-safe zip lock bag. They will freeze well for up to one month.

Ingredients and variations

Papaya: Make sure to use ripe papaya to get the best sweet and light flavour. Papaya is generally very tasteless when its not ripe. 

Milk: I use whole milk for this recipe. Feel free to use milk alternatives like almond, oat milk or any milk of your choice. The texture of the smoothie may change slightly.

Condensed milk: The condensed milk adds a very nice sweetness to the smoothie. If you don’t have any on hand, feel free to use brown sugar or white sugar. Any sugar that meets your dietary preferences would work. Simply add accordingly to your preference.

Did you make this Vietnamese Papaya Smoothie? I would love to hear from you please comment below!

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